When producing a hand-rolled cigarette, the smoking materials, such as tobacco, herbal preparations, or medicinal marijuana, are wrapped in specially prepared cigarette papers to form a tightly packed tube of smoking material, which is sealed into a cylinder about the same diameter as a standard manufactured cigarette with the application of some adhesive to the edge of the cigarette paper. The end of the cigarette to be lighted may be left open or sealed off by twisting the paper into a tight spiral, while the other smoking end is left open. As shown in FIG. 1, to prevent smoking materials from falling out of the smoking end 2 of cigarette 1, a small sheet of filter paper 10 is rolled into a tight coil to make a cigarette filter or roach 12, which is placed into the open smoking end 2 of the cigarette 1. The coiled roach filter 12 is rolled to a diameter that is slightly less than the diameter of the open smoking end of the cigarette so that it may be easily inserted therein. Once inserted, the coiled roach filter 12 is allowed to expand slightly to the inside diameter of the cigarette, so that it is thereby held in place by the expansive force exerted by the coiled roach filter 12 against the inside of the cylinder of cigarette paper. It is often helpful to tamp down the smoking materials at the open end of the cigarette to compact the smoking materials and create some room to insert the roach filter. A small stick or head of a nail is often used for this tamping process.
Advantages of using a roach filter at the smoking end of a hand-rolled cigarette are that the roach filter provides a convenient place for the smoker to grip the cigarette between his or her lips and it keeps the hot smoking materials from touching the lips. Further, the open coiled shape of the roach filter permits smoke to pass through without removing taste or active ingredients, and permits the entire cigarette to be fully consumed.
As shown in FIG. 1, rolling the roach filter 12 is a tricky process that involves wrapping a small piece of stiff filter paper or light cardboard 10 into a tight coil. This is usually done by hand and often takes several attempts to succeed in getting the filter paper coiled to the correct diameter at sufficient tension to function properly as a roach filter. The filter paper must first be folded at one end to assist in starting the coil. Then the folded end is rolled between the fingers until a tight coil is formed. This often takes several attempts and if the right tension is not obtained, the coil must be unwrapped and the process started again. The rolling process, when performed by hand, takes time, requires a keen eye, a steady hand and a high degree of manual dexterity since the filter paper is not very large compared to the size of a human hand. Consistent results are difficult to obtain.
The applicant is unaware of any solutions that have been put forward to solve the problem of producing roach filters quickly and consistently for use in hand-rolled cigarettes.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0088709 to Koshiishi, published on Apr. 21, 2011, describes a tobacco filter that can be used to easily produce a hand-rolled cigarette by wrapping a portion of the filter with the wrapping paper and smoking material, but there is no teaching of a device or method for easily preparing a coiled roach filter for use with the hand-rolled cigarette.
International patent publication No. WO 2012/064735 to Sinclair et al., published on May 18, 2012, describes filter strips that can be used to construct filter tips for custom cigars and cigarettes. The filter strip may be folded into a spiral filter tip that can be used to assist in rolling by hand a substantially cylindrical or conical cigarette and to prevent tobacco from being drawn into a smoker's mouth during smoking. Sinclair et al. describes forming a filter tip by placing one end of the filter strip between a user's thumb and forefinger and first folding it into a zigzag shape. Then the remaining length of the filter paper is rolled around the zigzag shape to produce a coiled filter tip. There is no mention of using a mechanical device to assist in rolling the coiled filter tip.
International patent publication No. WO 2004/086887 to Aish et al., published on Oct. 14, 2004, describes a cylindrical element (10) with a slit or groove (20) extending a portion of its length into which a cigarette paper may be inserted. Rolling the cigarette paper containing the smoking materials around the cylinder assists in forming a cigarette. There is no description of a device or method for making a roach filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,421 to Hausmann, European Patent No. EP0011633 to Rosenlind et al., German Patent Application No. DE19743182A1 to Scherbel, and U.K. Patent No. GB428,206 to Elboz, all disclose turn keys for assisting in the extrusion of ingredients from collapsible tubes, such as toothpaste or anchovy tubes. Elboz, Rosenlind, and Scherbel disclose keys having two parallel prongs with a space disposed between the prongs. The prongs are open at one end to permit introduction of the tube material, and closed at the other end where various types of handles are formed. Turning the keys using the handle tends to form a spiral in the tube material. Hausmann accomplishes the same task as the other keys, but comprises a hollow cylinder or shaft (1) with a longitudinal slit (3) along its length and a handle (2) at one end. None of these references disclose securing the prongs into a housing so that the prongs are protected when the apparatus is not in use. Nor is there any description of a device or method for making a coiled roach filter for a cigarette.
What is needed then is a device and method to assist the smoker in quickly constructing a coiled roach filter for use in making hand-rolled cigarettes.